John Dennis
Enlisted as a Private
Intra Regimental Company Transfers:
* from company B to company E
"B" Co. AR 7th Infantry
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John M. Dennis enlisted as a Private in Captain Orme's Company B, 7th Arkansas Infantry July 26, 1861 at Smithville by Captain Cameron for 12 months, present until paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina April 28, 1865
M317: Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Arkansas
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Seventh Arkansas regiment
The Seventh Arkansas regiment, which at the battle of
Shiloh was styled by its corps commander, General
Hardee, "The Bloody Seventh," was organized in Smith-
ville, Lawrence county, June 16, 1861, and went into
camp, called in honor of its commander, Camp Shaver,
near Pocahontas in Randolph county, with 1,200 men and
over. Gen. W. J. Hardee made it the nucleus of his bri-
gade after it was transferred to the Confederate service,
consisting of the Third Confederate, and the Fifth, Sixth,
Seventh and Eighth Arkansas regiments, McCarver's
regiment and McCann's battery of artillery. The regi-
mental and company commanders at the organization
were, Col. Robert Shaver, Lieut. -Col. William R. Cain,
Maj. James T. Martin. John M. Dean was appointed
adjutant, H. C. Tunsell, quartermaster, Commissary
John S. Shaver, Dr. Bohannon, surgeon, Dr. Hoadley,
assistant surgeon. The company officers at the time
of the organization were: Company A, Capt. John
C. McCauley, of White county; Company B, Capt. George
B. Orme, of Jackson county; Company C, Capt. James
T. Martin, of Randolph county (he became major of the
regiment, and his brother, J. H. Martin, captain) ; Com-
pany D, Captain Deason, of Izard county; Company E,
Capt. M. Van Shaver, of Fulton county; Company F,
Capt. (Rev.) John H. Dye, of White county; Company
G, Capt. C. C. Straughan of Lawrence county; Com-
pany H, Capt. James F. Archer, of Marion county;
Company I, Captain Mellon, of Randolph county. Com-
pany K, Captain Brightwell, of Independence county.
At Camp Shaver, Lieutenant-Colonel Cain resigned be-
cause of failing health, and John M. Dean was made lieu-
tenant-colonel, and Jack Home, adjutant. Commissary
Shaver resigned and John D. Sprigg succeeded him.
The regiment remained in the State service about six
weeks, when General Hardee was ordered to make trans-
fer of the State organizations to the Confederate States.
In making these transfers nearly all the regiments lost one
or more companies. The Seventh transferred with the
loss of 17 men only, who refused to enlist as "Con-
federate troops." Capts. C. C. Straughan, of Company
G, and James F. Archer, of Company H, retired, and Cap-
tain Warner succeeded the former, Captain Blackburn
the latter, in command of these companies, respectively.
The regiment was ordered to Pitman's Ferry, where it
was drilled and disciplined by General Hardee in person
until, about the last of August, General Hardee marched
it by land to Point Pleasant, Mo., on the Missouri river,
and thence transported it by boat to Columbus, Ky.
From Columbus it was ordered to Bowling Green, Ky., in
October, where it was assigned to the division commanded
by Gen. S. B. Buckner. Under General Hardee, as divi-
sion commander, it was part of the Third Arkansas bri-
gade, made up of the Seventh (Shaver's), Eighth (Kelly's),
a battalion of the Ninth Arkansas (Bradley's), and the
Nineteenth Tennessee (Allison's), commanded by Col.
R. G. Shaver. The brigade remained at Bowling Green
until February, 186z, when that place was evacuated,
Shaver's brigade guarding the rear, being shelled by the
artillery of Buell's advance while the last trains of stores
were being loaded. On leaving, Colonel Shaver, by
order of Colonel Hardee, burned the depot and took down
the telegraph wires. It was during the worst month in
that climate, with rain and snow and the thermometer at
night below zero, when this retreat was made. The Sev-
enth was caused to stand to arms all night by a report
that a large force of Buell's army was on its heels, which
turned out to be Helm's Kentucky cavalry coming in the
rear by an unexpected order of march. General Johns-
ton, at Nashville, dispatched General Shaver that the
enemy's cavalry was advancing upon his rear. This was
made known to General Wood, of Alabama, who had taken
command of the brigade on the retreat. General Wood
refused to wait for the rear guard, and for this reason
Colonel Shaver applied for and secured a transfer of the
Seventh to Hindman's brigade. The regiment reached
Nashville ten days after the fall of Fort Donelson, and
went thence to Murfreesboro, where the remnants of
Zollicoffer's command from Fishing creek had gone into
camp. From Murfreesboro it went to Decatur and thence
to Courtland, Ala., and went into camp at Corinth, Miss.,
to await the concentration there of an army to meet the
Federal advance. It there rested from the exposure and
fatigue of the retreat out of Kentucky. Then followed
the battle of Shiloh, where General Shaver commanded
the brigade under General Hindman. Colonel Shaver
was born in Sullivan county, east Tennessee, and came to
Arkansas in 1851, settling at Batesville and engaging in
merchandise. He was educated at Emory and Henry
college, Virginia, and had not received any military train-
ing. At the time the war began he was doing business
about twenty miles east of Batesville, in what was then
Lawrence, now Sharp county. He entered with enthu-
siasm into the raising of troops for the service. As the
Confederate government was very slow about receiving
volunteers for the service, Arkansans generally flocked
to the State service. Col. Robert G. Shaver is now
major-general of the State guard and reserve militia of
Arkansas.
Source: Confederate Military History, vol. XIV, p. 301